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Archival description
Only top-level descriptions New Westminster district (B.C.)
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New Westminster County Court appeals book

  • GR-0582
  • Series
  • 1877-1892

This series consists of an appeals book from the County Court of New Westminster for cases appealing decisions and convictions in lower courts, such as magistrate's and licensing courts. Also includes limited loose correspondence found in the bound volume.

British Columbia. County Court (New Westminster)

Commission Into Matters Connected With Occupants of Land Leased by the North Pacific Lumber Company (1913)

  • GR-0798
  • Series
  • 1913-1915

This series consists of the records of the Commission into the matters connected with the occupants of land comprised in the timber leases held by The North Pacific Lumber Company , 1913-1915. Commission records consist of typewritten transcripts of evidence presented at the proceedings, argument on behalf of the North Pacific Lumber Company and the report in which he recommended a settlement with the company.

British Columbia. Commission into the matters connected with the occupants of land comprised in the timber leases held by The North Pacific Lumber Company [1913]

Commission on the Sale by Public Auction, 1909, of Suburban Lands in the New Westminster Land District (1916)

  • GR-0808
  • Series
  • 1916

This series consists of the records of the Commission on the Sale by Public Auction, 1909, of Suburban Lands in the New Westminster Land District, 1916. The commissioner, Vancouver lawyer Robert Wilson Harris, was appointed 28 April 1916 to investigate the sale and all dealings, transfers, payments, etc. of certain suburban lands in Point Grey in district lots 139, 140, 176, 538, 540, 206, 217 and 2027 in the New Westminster land district. Commission records consist of Provincial Secretary's correspondence file, evidence presented at the hearings (reproduced as an appendix to the report) and a signed copy of the commissioner's report.

British Columbia. Commission on the Sale by Public Auction, 1909, of Suburban Lands in the New Westminster Land District (1916)

Governor Douglas correspondence

  • GR-0984
  • Series
  • 1859

This series consists of miscellaneous Governor James Douglas correspondence regarding the selection of site for capital and claim of land near Fort Hope, 1859.

British Columbia (Colony). Governor (1858-1864 : Douglas)

New Westminster township register

  • GR-1699
  • Series
  • [ca. 1873]-1908

This series contains a township register of New Westminster district. The register is arranged by section number and township. It shows the date of registration, name of landholder, acreage, crown grant number, date of crown grant, and status with regard to royalty.

British Columbia. Lands Branch

Report

  • GR-2574
  • Series
  • 1912

Report of W.A. Macdonald, K.C., Commissioner. The Commissioner was appointed "to ascertain to what extent registration has been effected of subdivision of lands granted by the Crown since the passage of the Land Act Amendment Act, 1896, and what lots and blocks of land comprised in such subdivisions have been reconveyed to the Crown in accordance with the requirements of the said Act, and an Act to amend and consolidate the laws affecting Crown Lands.". For Proceedings see GR-0792. (Marjorie C. Holmes, Royal Commissions an Commissions of Inquiry, 1872-1942, stated that the Report had not been found.

British Columbia. Commission on Land Registration (1912)

New Westminster group 1 lot registers

  • GR-2614
  • Series
  • 1859-1948

This series consists of New Westminster Land District lot registers for Group 1, lots 1-2374. The earliest entries begin in 1859 and all volumes were superseded by 1948 (i.e. no further entries were made after 1948).

The registers list lots in numerical order and record the alienation of land from the Crown (by purchase, pre-emption, lease, etc.). Information may include the name of the purchaser, dates and numbers of certificates issued (including Crown Grants), dates and amounts of payments, and reference numbers to correspondence files and field books. There is an alphabetical index of names in each volume.

British Columbia. Dept. of Lands

New Westminster District auction sale records

  • GR-2615
  • Series
  • 1906-1908

This series consists of duplicate auctioneers records for auction sales of Crown land in the New Westminster Land District. Sales include: Hastings townsite District lot 540, 1906; North Vancouver, District Lot 2027 in Group 1, 1906; and in 1908, a further sale of lands in North Vancouver. Information may include date of sale, name and address of highest bidder and amount bid, deposit, and terms of sale. Also included is a copy of the brochure detailing the forthcoming sale and a summary of receipts for the 1906 sale.

British Columbia. Dept. of Lands

New Westminster District auction sale records

  • GR-2616
  • Series
  • 1913

This series consists of auctioneers records for 1913 auction sales of Crown land in the New Westminster Land District. Sales include Hastings townsite, lots 1-138; Kitsilano, District Lot 540 G.1, Lots 1-101; and Point Grey, District Lots 538 and 176 G.1. Information may include date of sale, name and address of highest bidder and amount bid, deposit, and terms of sale. No index is available.

British Columbia. Dept. of Lands

New Westminster Land District forfeiture certificates

  • GR-2617
  • Series
  • 1915-1957

This series consists of New Westminster Land District forfeiture certificates of lands reverted to the Crown from 1915-1957. Records relate to the Coquitlam, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and Matsqui Dyking Districts. The certificates are arranged chronologically without regard to Dyking District. Information may include the legal description of the land, the plan number, the date it was subject to forfeiture, the date of the end of the period of grace, and the date of forfeiture. Certificates are indexed alphabetically by owners name, and numerically by plan to folio numbers.

Coquitlam Dyking District lies within the limits of the City of Port Coquitlam, and the Municipality of Coquitlam.

Pitt Meadows No.2 Dyking District lies within the defined boundaries of the Municipality of Pitt Meadows, and is situated 1 1/2 miles north of the Dewdney Trunk Road at the confluence of the Pitt and Alouette Rivers.

Maple RIdge Dyking District lies within the boundaries of the Municipalities of Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, including the Townsite of Hammond.

British Columbia. Dept. of Lands

West Nicomen Dyking District tax rolls

  • GR-2618
  • Series
  • 1914-1917

This series consists of New Westminster Land District tax rolls for West Nicomen Dyking District from 1914-1917. Information may include the names and address of the registered owner and applicant to register, the legal description of the land, acreage, amounts payable and payment records. Auditors' reports are also included.

British Columbia. Dept. of Lands

New Westminster District appraisals of reverted land

  • GR-2619
  • Series
  • 1931-1932

The series consists of appraisal reports of reverted lands from the New Westminster land district, 1931 to 1932. These reports are in two volumes and are divided into arbitrary land areas labeled "F", "E", "G", and "H". Reports are arranged numerically by report number. Information may include assessment district, land registry office, legal description, date of forfeiture, plan number, acreage, suitability, improvements, soil, water supply, irrigation or diking, accessibility, nearest settlement or Post Office, nearest school, topography, and assessed and appraised value. The report usually includes a coloured sketch map of the property. The information is indexed by District Lot number to report number.

British Columbia. Dept. of Lands

New Westminster Supreme Court and County Court criminal case files

  • GR-3832
  • Series
  • 1909-1922

This series includes criminal case files from the New Westminster Supreme Court and County Court, including trials held under the Speedy Trials Act. Crimes were committed throughout the New Westminster District, which covers a large portion of the lower mainland or Greater Vancouver area. Some files include transcripts of proceedings. Files in box 1 are not numbered and are not indexed.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (New Westminster)

New Westminster Land Commissioner files

  • GR-4121
  • Series
  • 1882-1978

This series consists of records related to the administration, management and alienation of land in the New Westminster land district from 1882-1978. The records were primarily created by the provincial Government Agent and the Dominion Land Agent stationed in New Westminster. The majority of these records are homestead files created by the dominion government. These files contain information about homesteaders, their applications and the process of obtaining title to land.

Record types and subject matter include, but are not limited to: land alienation through pre-emption or purchase from the provincial government and homesteading or purchase from the federal government; a variety of leases of Crown land; other general subject files; and records regarding Indigenous Peoples or Indian Reserves.

Records related to land alienation include: applications for pre-emption, purchase or lease; land classification reports; forms completed by land inspectors of the Department of Lands Inspection Branch; declarations of occupation and permanent improvement on pre-emption claims; applications for homestead entry, cancellation, and abandonment; homestead Inspector’s reports; affidavits in support of an Application for Entry; land sales records; correspondence with settlers and other government officials; patents; Crown Grants; certificates; forms; maps and plans; financial records including receipts and cheques; court records, such as probates; survey records; notices of sale or cancellation; and sale agreements.

Records related to leases and other uses of Crown land include: grazing leases; foreshore leases; dredging leases; special use permits; timber permits; timber berths; water licenses; applications for dyking schemes; campsite leases; oyster bed leases; right-of-ways (ROWs) through land for railways, roads, powerlines or pipelines; petroleum and natural gas leases; quarry leases; bar leases; coal leases; mining leases; and mineral claims. Other uses include government reserves, the establishment of parks, and the reservation of land for school sites or other public uses.

Other more general subject files include: inquiries about land availability; preliminary plans and correspondence for the survey and sale of townsites; Soldier Settlement Board records including forms, correspondence and records of soldier land grants; correspondence files on specific topics such as canal construction, the reclamation of Hatzic Lake, the draining of Sumas Lake and the establishment of fish culture and fish hatcheries; and business records of the office, including inter-department correspondence, circulars, and memorandum related to matters of land administration.

Files also exist for specific Indian Reserves, and can include correspondence; water records; surveys; and inspection reports created in the process of allotting new, and canceling or amending existing Indian Reserves. Some files document instances of overlapping land use and conflict between settlers and Indigenous peoples on specific parcels of land.

Files are generally either correspondence files on a particular subject, or a variety of records related to a particular piece of land. Many files cover a wide time period and may be associated with multiple individuals or companies, as land rights were often transferred to others or cancelled and reapplied for.

Only the name of the first individual listed on the file is included in the file list. This means there may be additional names associated with files not included on the file list. The file list may also only include part of the legal description of land in cases where the description was exceptionally long, or included many different pieces of land. Single individuals may also have multiple files for each piece of land they are associated with.

The series also includes some files related to land in the Yale Division and Kamloops Division of the Yale Land District; as well as the Lillooet Land District. These records were created in the offices of the Kamloops and Clinton Government Agents, but at some point became intermingled with the New Westminster records.

Maps, plans and sketches indicating the parcels of land relevant to the file are commonly found throughout the records.

British Columbia. Government Agent (New Westminster)

New Westminster Land Commissioner record books

  • GR-4122
  • Series
  • 1859-1980

This series consists of a variety of bound volumes related to the administration, management and alienation of land in the New Westminster land district from 1858-1980. The records were primarily created by the provincial Government Agent and the Dominion Land Agent stationed in New Westminster. The records have been arranged into the following subseries:

  1. Indexes and maps.

The indexes cover many of the homestead files in GR-4121, by file number and alphabetically by name of the homesteader or licensee. There are two volumes of reference maps for various municipalities, sub-divisions, right-of-ways and townships.

  1. BC government land registers : district lot system

Variations of this system of surveying land were used from 1859 onwards. All of these volumes appear to have been created and maintained by the BC government. The registers list the lots in numerical order and record the alienation of land from the Crown by purchase, pre-emption, lease, mineral claims, timber use, etc. Information may include the name of the purchaser, dates and numbers of certificates issued (including Crown Grants), dates and amounts of payments, and reference numbers to correspondence files and field books. There is an alphabetical name index in most volumes. The registers cover range 1 Coast District, range 4 Coast District, Yale Division Yale District (YDYD) country lands, Texada Island District, Point Grey townsite, Powell River townsite, Hastings townsite, and New Westminster District group 1, group 2 and 3 group 3.

  1. BC government land registers : township system

Variations of this survey system were used from 1873 to approximately 1912. All of these volumes appear to have been created and maintained by the BC government. The land entered in the majority of the volumes was surveyed and made available for settlement in 1873 and 1874. The registers list land in numerical order by Sections within Townships and record the alienation of land from the Crown by purchase, pre-emption, lease, etc. Information may include the name of the purchaser, dates and numbers of certificates issued (including Crown Grants), dates and amounts of payments, and reference numbers to correspondence files and field books. There is an alphabetical name index in most volumes. The registers cover New Westminster District townships 1 to 50 with some townships missing.

  1. Dominion government : general land registers

These volumes were likely created by the Dominion Land Agent. It appears that at least some records were copied from provincial records to determine what land had been alienated before the transfer of the Railway Belt and what Crown land still needed to be managed by the dominion government. The registers, arranged by legal description, indicate the nature of the grant, the number, date of entry, file number, patent approval date, and name of grantee. The registers cover various townships in the New Westminster District and various lots throughout the Hope district, Yale district, Kamloops district, town of Hope, town of Yale, and Boston Bar.

  1. Lease registers

These volumes were created in the New Westminster government agent's office. They record leases for a variety of purposes including: quarry, campsite, booming ground, agriculture, foreshore, forestry, and grazing. Many volumes are indexed and may include file numbers linking to GR-4121.

  1. Pre-emption records

These records were created by the BC government. Pre-emption was a system of obtaining title to unsurveyed land (similar to the Dominion "homesteading" system) which occurred until 1970. Individuals could purchase land which had not been fully surveyed. However, grants to these lands were not issued until the applicant had made specified improvements, passed inspections, satisfied residency requirements, and had the lands fully surveyed. Records include certificates of improvement for the Vancouver Divisions of the New Westminster District and Coast District; certificates of pre-emption for the New Westminster District and Vancouver Division; and registers of pre-emption records.

  1. Land purchase records

These records were created by the BC government. Once land was surveyed, it could be purchased outright instead of being pre-empted. These records include certificates of purchase for the New Westminster District.

  1. Mining records

The majority of these records were created by BC Government Agents, Gold Commissioners or Mining Recorders. Records include mineral claim minute books, records of conveyances, bills of sale, applications for mineral lands and petroleum and natural gas leases, and coal applications. Records are from the New Westminster District, Hope and Yale. Most volumes include an alphabetical index and some may include references to file numbers in GR-4121.

  1. Range and timber records

These records were created by the dominion and BC governments. Records include range leases, grazing leases and information on timber berths.

  1. Water licence applications

These records are water licence applications created by the BC government.

  1. Cancellation records

Cancellation registers created by the BC and Dominion governments. Some volumes include alphabetical indexes and have file numbers related to GR-4121.

  1. Financial records

Various financial records created by the Dominion government and BC Government Agents. Records include Dominion crown timber financial statements; form J (cash books) created by Government Agents documenting their expenses and fee collection, such as the sale of marriage licences; and a land revenue return of payments from the central Victoria land office.

  1. Other land administration records

Includes dominion created applications for patents and homestead inspectors instructions, as well as BC Government Agent books recording lands resumed under Soldier’s Homestead Act, Crown granted mineral claims which have reverted to the Crown for non-payment of taxes, and surveyed lands open for use.

British Columbia. Government Agent (New Westminster)